Many women prefer to straighten their hair right before bed to save up on that precious sleep, or they may try to keep their hair straight for multiple days in a row to cut down on styling time. Regrettably, things do not always go to plan. You may use a flat iron but still end up with messed up hair the following day.
The process of straightening your hair can take anywhere from one to three hours, depending on how long, curly, or thick your hair is. It can be so disheartening if all the time and effort you put into it goes to waste.
Fortunately, we are here to help. Below are some helpful tips you can apply to keep your hair straight overnight and stay as adorable as ever throughout the day.
- 1. Try Different Overnight Hairstyles for Straight Hair
- 2. Wrap Your Hair in a Silk or Satin Head Scarf
- 3. Sleep on Silk or Satin Beddings
- 4. Secure Your Hair With Bobby Pins
- 5. Avoid Excess Moisture or Humidity
- 6. Use a Premium-Quality Straightening Serum
- 7. Consider Using a Heat Protectant Spray
- 8. Use Dry Shampoo to Reduce Excess Oil
- Other Helpful Points to Consider to Keep Your Hair Straight Overnight
- So, What Can You Take Away From This?
1. Try Different Overnight Hairstyles for Straight Hair
If none of the above options is your cup of tea, then you can try out a few different overnight hairstyles tailored for straightened hair.
Even though these hairstyles are merely temporary solutions to keep your hair straight overnight, they will leave you looking awesome in the morning. The best part is that most of these hairstyles are easy to do, with no special skills required.
Our top recommendations of overnight hairstyles you can try include:
- Top Knot
- The Multi-Bun
- Loose Side-Bun
2. Wrap Your Hair in a Silk or Satin Head Scarf
One of the easiest ways to keep your hair straight overnight is to wrap it in a silk or satin headscarf. Silk and satin are super smooth materials, meaning they are less likely to ruin your newly-straightened hair.
Besides, these materials are renowned for their breathability, which is important in minimizing sweat and keeping your hair moisture-free.
You do not have to be a pro hairstylist to know how to wrap your hair in a scarf. Simply start by wrapping your hair around your head and then cover it with a silk or satin scarf.
Make sure you secure your hair using bobby pins as directed above. Afterward, wrap your silk scarf around the wrapped hair by bringing the sides up and ensuring it’s flat against the back.
3. Sleep on Silk or Satin Beddings
If you often struggle to keep your hair straight overnight, then it’s time you check the type of bed sheets you sleep on. The material of your beddings could be the reason why your hair frizzes or tangles every night.
Materials such as cotton are notorious for causing friction between your hair and your pillow. Besides, cotton and other similar materials have poor breathability, meaning you are likely to sweat more, which will in turn ruin your straightened hair.
To avoid taking chances, use silk or satin bed sheets and pillowcases. Satin is soft, and it does not cause friction. This means you are likely to wake up with your hair straight even if you don’t wrap it in a scarf!
4. Secure Your Hair With Bobby Pins
Bobby pins may not seem to be useful at first, but these hairpins may just turn out to be your greatest assets as far as keeping your hair straight is concerned.
Pinning your hair with bobby pins keeps the ends in place and prevents dents. The pins also limit your hair from moving, making it easier to keep it straight throughout the night.
Here are the steps on how to secure your hair with bobby pins:
- Part your straightened hair into 2 to 4 sections using a comb
- Separate each parted section using your fingers
- Pinch the parted section and hold the hair
- Flip the hairpin over and insert it into your hair with the wavy part facing down and slide the pin to the top of your head for a more secure grip
- Repeat the above steps for the remaining sections
- If you have very long hair, wrap it around your head and secure it using curved hairpins at the back.
Do not secure your hair by crisscrossing the bobby pins, as this may break your hair. Also, make sure the protective ends of the pins are in place to protect your scalp from harm.
5. Avoid Excess Moisture or Humidity
Excess moisture or humidity can ruin your recently straightened hair, making it impossible to keep it in place throughout the night.
So, if you reside in humid areas, you may consider buying an anti-humidity hair spray. Moreover, make sure your air conditioner is working optimally to keep your space moisture-free.
The heat from a straightener can cause more damage than good. It may weaken the strands and eventually break your hair. With this in mind, it is always a good idea to apply a premium-quality straightening serum that’s also designed to provide a layer of protection against the heat.
Now, straightening serum works differently, and it comes with additional benefits compared to regular hair oil. Besides adding shine to your hair or guarding it against heat, a serum may detangle curly hair, repair hair damage, or tame unruly flyaways.
You can use it before and after your hair-straightening routine, right before bedtime. The serum smooths your hair, making it easier to straighten, and it also keeps your straightened hairstyle in place by preventing knots and tangles.
7. Consider Using a Heat Protectant Spray
As you may have noticed by now, protecting your hair from heat is pivotal to keeping it in good health. Exposing your hair to too much heat during straightening will damage the strands and make it frizz. This will also make it less likely to appear straight and healthy in the morning; instead, you’ll find yourself waking up to a frizzy, damaged mane.
The good news is that you can protect your hair using products like heat protectant sprays. The best heat protectant spray will prevent your strands from over-drying when using various styling tools like straighteners and blow driers.
Protectant sprays also enhance the effectiveness of your straightener and reduce general hair damage by stopping frizzing.
8. Use Dry Shampoo to Reduce Excess Oil
For those lucky enough to have naturally straight hair, using dry shampoo can help keep your precious locks in place while you sleep.
Straight hair is prone to getting oily since the hair shaft does not have any wave to it. This means any oil applied to the hair will slide down and collect over your scalp. Now, if your hair is too oily, it’s likely to lose its shape, and it may be difficult to maintain its volume.
Using dry shampoo spray or powder will help absorb excess oil and maintain the volume of your straightened hair throughout the night and in between washes.
This is also a helpful tip if you like to straighten your hair once every few days without washing it in between. Dry shampoo can allow you to maintain your straightened style while removing grease and excess oil for your scalp, and refreshing your hair overall.
Other Helpful Points to Consider to Keep Your Hair Straight Overnight
These extra tips can help you keep your hair as straight as possible while you sleep.
Always Use the Right Straightener for Your Hair
Styling tools come in different shapes and configurations. Some may work wonders on your hair, while others may leave it ruined.
Important factors to consider when choosing a hair straightener include the size and shape of the machine, heat settings, flat iron materials, and plate width.
Avoid Hairbands to Prevent Dents
Securing your hair with bobby pins or wrapping it around your head is undoubtedly a good way to prevent tangles. However, you should avoid tying up your hair into a ponytail or using hairbands to create a knot.
Tying your hair up will not only create dents but also increase your prep time in the morning. You will spend more time untying, and you may be forced to go through the straightening process again.
Keep Your Bedroom Cool
We’ve already discussed how excess moisture and straight hair do not get along well. If your bedroom is excessively warm, you are more likely to sweat, and this won’t work well with your bid to keep curls and hair frizz at bay.
So, if you want to keep your hair straight overnight, make sure your bedroom is cool. Apart from turning on the air conditioner, you can use a fan or open the windows on cool evenings.
Do Not Fiddle Your Hair
Whether you have straight or curly hair, the urge to fiddle your hair is almost irresistible. However, in most cases, this does not end up well.
Running your fingers through your hair will get rid of the hair spray and even reduce the effectiveness of the holding spray. It might also cause your hair to develop knots, further ruining your overnight styling.
Do Not Wash Your Hair Regularly
Shampooing and conditioning your hair once in a while is okay, but if you want to keep your hair straight for longer, then avoid washing it regularly.
When you wash your hair, the shampoo can cause it to tangle more. Besides, it will wash away the holding spray that keeps your hair in place.
As if that’s not enough…
Washing your hair regularly can strip away natural oils that keep your hair healthy. Eventually, your hair will become excessively dry and break as a result.
Apply Low-Temperature Settings When Using a Dryer
As a rule of thumb, always apply low-temperature settings when using any styling tool.
Whether you are using a straightener or a regular hairdryer, make sure the heat settings are low. We only recommend higher settings for thicker or coarser hair that requires more heat for straightening.
If you are using a flat iron, always go for one that comes with ceramic plates. Ceramic straighteners are great in distributing heat evenly, thus preventing snags and reducing split ends.
Give Your Hair a Break
Let’s face it. You may be tempted to straighten your hair every day to keep it in top shape. However, doing so will only do more harm than good.
Regular straightening can take a toll on your hair by weakening your strands and even cause split ends. This will make it harder to keep your hair straight in the long term.
So, What Can You Take Away From This?
From the look of things, keeping your hair straight overnight is not that difficult after all. You just need to follow our handy tips to maintain your straightened mane while you enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Try any of these tips tonight and see how it goes. Trust us! You’ll be glad you did.